The choice of being a specialist, a generalist, or being versatile, is a relevant question to answer. A specialist focuses on one area of expertise, with great knowledge. A generalist deals with many areas, but with little depth of expertise. Someone who is versatile is able to deal with many areas with a depth of expertise.
I became a student of things such as technology, health and nutrition, space travel, business and many other things that may seem to be unrelated. My goal in being curious is to learn and grow. Many times I even look at athletics and find concepts that can be of benefit, when applied to business and the growth of individuals.
Several years ago, the New England Patriots defeated the Saint Louis Rams in the Super Bowl, to become the champions of professional football. In looking at some of the philosophies the embraced, there was one that I felt was very important. Most professional football teams when acquiring players, look for the best player at a specific position that they can obtain.
The New England Patriots obtained players that were good at several positions. This way they had more depth and when player were injured, they had players that could still play in place of the injured player, with a high level of ability. This provided them with more consistency in their level of performance. This contributes to a competitive strength.
In the current business environment where a business may be operating with a lesser amount of employees, having versatile employees that can do several things well is strength. This allows you to function at a higher level.
What may set your business apart when it has a versatile employee is the increased ability, to meet the needs of your customers at a higher level. What do you think this may do for your profits?
There is a need for you to make an assessment, of the level of versatility of all of the employees in your business, including managers and owners, to determine the level of versatility, of each individual in your business.
Garry Hagarrt, CPC, is a management, marketing and performance development consultant and facilitator. He can be reached at 661-259-2530.